Pest battle with Anacharis — and how I won

I had a serious problem with root-eating by water lily aphids or china mark moth on my Anacharis earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational.

Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate natural filtration improving water clarity and quality, which is remarkable. I've repositioned it in a formal ornamental pond with clear water and reflections and improved my attention to removing dying foliage in autumn before it rots and reduces water quality. overwintering dormancy in the pond bed was the proof that the plant had fully recovered — genuinely beautiful. Moral of the story: inspect regularly and catch problems early.